“Turkey 🇹🇷 ~Hamam, Massage, Traditional Foods and Galatolia Suites”

• September 15, 2020
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

We are all set, once again, in Istanbul. We are taking a few days to relax and unwind from so many months and miles, road-tripping throughout the Balkans. We made some incredible memories. We also feel very fortunate to have spent the late Winter, Spring, Summer and now Fall, in Europe.

Before we leave Istanbul, I will repost some blogs, from our first visit, here, to show off this wonderful city! There is something very special about Turkey, because we are not normally fans of the big, busy, loud, cities, but Istanbul IS one of those large populated city which we actually love!

First Night’s Arrival

We flew into Istanbul, Turkey, from Sofia, Bulgaria without issue. We were delighted, but exhausted. It was 1:12AM, before we got to crawl into this very welcoming bed! 

Coming back to Galatolia Suites, was like coming back home. We stayed for a month, here, back in February/March. Our stored suitcase and cooking items were already in our same room, waiting fir us, from our last visit. Funny thing, but we havent had a microwave or toaster in six months. From Greece on, to the other Balkan states, we are told microwaves are too dangerous. A toaster is just an unfamiliar item to those states.. I’m in heaven with these appliances. 

Thanks to our friend, Taskin, for getting everything ready for us in advance, and us being a day late arriving, than planned! We are very comfortable and happy

First Day

Do We Look Refreshed?

Our Turkish Baths and Massages did not disappoint! We recommend! This was our third visit and we absolutely recommend their Bath House and Spa: Alaturka Hamam: https://alaturkahamam.com/

Their driver picked us up and brought us back after our session. It was so nice, and so easy.

What exactly is a Hamam or Turkish Bath?

“A Turkish Bath or Hammam is a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Ottoman Empire, as well as other regions and historical periods of the Muslim world”

After our session, Daryl went to the market and got a few items, and then we ate dinner next door to our hotel at a place called Akin. They prepare traditional Turkish dishes….yum! The building of the restoran is a partial ruin of an ancient Hamam, which is also quite special.